'I'm not doing this.' Jennifer Coolidge almost said no to playing Tanya in the White Lotus. Here's exactly why.

Content warning: This podcast includes descriptions of disordered eating that may be distressing to some readers.

Jennifer Coolidge is in the prime of her career. 

It's her most recent portrayal of Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus that we've all become obsessed with, but in a recent interview with the star we've learnt that one of the most beloved characters of the show very nearly didn't happen at all. 

Coolidge was once best known for her role as "Stifler's mom" in American Pie and Paulette from Legally Blonde in the 90s and early 2000s, but her biggest role was yet to come. 

While on The Hollywood Reporter's Drama Actress Roundtable, Coolidge got real about the pressure of perfection. 

Watch: Jennifer Coolidge pretended to have a twin so she could date two men. Post continues after video. 

The 61-year-old recalled the moment The White Lotus creator Mike White approached her about taking on a role in the show. 

"We were in COVID, no one knew I'd be getting a call saying, 'Hey Jennifer, my show got greenlit, let's go do it. And it's all going to be on a beach in bathing suits!'" she said at the roundtable.

At the height of the pandemic, the actor shared she'd been stress-eating to cope with the uncertainties of the pandemic. 

"We were like six months into COVID, and I'd been locked up in my house in New Orleans just pigging out on these vegan pizzas. A good friend and I were doing two at breakfast, two at lunch, and two at dinner," she said. "So, I was just like, 'No, I'm not doing this,' but I didn't tell Mike I wasn't doing it. I just said, 'Oh, that's so nice, Mike. God, congratulations.'"

Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus. Image: Binge.

Over the course of lockdowns, Coolidge took on the type of mindset that led her to believe she could "do whatever you want". 

"I thought we were all going to die during COVID," Coolidge said. "Just do whatever you want. Walk around naked, get arrested, whatever, it's all going to be over."

When the role became a reality and conversations around The White Lotus became a reality, the actor said she "still wasn't going to do it". 

It wasn't until her best friend called her out on her "bullcrap" did she realise the opportunity she was considering passing up on. 

"She knew exactly what I was doing, and she was like, 'You are an idiot. I'm not going to let you do this,'" Coolidge said.

"I think this happens to actresses a lot," she added. "You sit around and b***h your whole life that you've never been given the role of your dreams, and then when it comes, you're like, 'Yeah, I can't do it. I ate a bunch of pizza.' You can ruin it."

Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus. Image: Binge.

Joined by Coolidge were Emma D'Arcy, Melanie Lynskey, Dominique Fishback, Claire Danes, and Jennifer Garner who mentioned putting a bathing suit on would scare her. 

"Yeah, and look, they have Sydney Sweeney and Alexandra Daddario to wear those bathing suits," Coolidge responded. "I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know, it was self-hate and not being prepared."

Listen to The Spill, Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast. Post continues after audio. 

Coolidge has been honest about her perception of her own self-image during the pandemic, sharing that in November 2021 she felt she needed to "look a certain way" on camera.

In playing Tanya McQuoid, she told People she thought twice before playing her.

"During COVID, I just let everything go," she confessed. "I let everything go most of my life but I really let everything go during COVID."

"I'm vain," she added. "I wanted to look a certain way when you're on film … I was not ready for this cool opportunity. It goes to show, you should always be in the best shape because you just don't know."

Thankfully, her friend was able to talk her "off the ledge".

"It's a miracle that happened. What a fluke, you know?" she recalled. 

"I just can't believe it," she added, of the show's success. "We went and did it and we filmed it and then people liked it."

Feature Image: Getty/Binge.

For help and support for eating disorders, contact the Butterfly Foundation’s National Support line and online service on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673).

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